Wesley Hilliard
Tim Sweeney, the man behind the "Fortnite" 1984 ad campaign against Apple, claims that corporate propaganda shouldn't be the response to big tech issues.
The Epic Games versus Apple trial may have adjourned, but Tim Sweeney is still complaining about Apple's business practices on Twitter. While a verdict and action plan from the judge is still pending, "Fortnite" continues its existence off of Apple's platforms.
A tweet from Epic CEO Tim Sweeney suggests that corporate propaganda campaigns shouldn't be the solution to a problem, that companies should "just fix it and bear the costs." The statement from Sweeney comes after Apple's pamphlet on privacy and sideloading was released on Wednesday.
I really hope corporate propaganda campaigns don't become a permanent fixture of the tech industry. If a company has a problem, just fix it and bear the costs, and if that takes time to do right then say so.
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) June 24, 2021
The hypocrisy of the statement appears to be lost on Sweeney, who's company ran an expensive, multi-week campaign against Apple before the trial. After breaking Apple's App Store guidelines on purpose, the company sued Apple and released a propaganda video mimicking Apple's "1984" ad that launched the Mac.
After the ad released, "Fortnite" had in-game content advertising the legal opposition against Apple. The entire campaign was run via the hashtag #FreeFortnite to convince players to speak out against Apple's business practices.
"Fortnite" was removed from Apple's platforms, and despite being able to return to the App Store at any time, Tim Sweeney refused to "just fix it and bear the costs." The popular game still isn't available on Apple's platforms which previously earned Apple as much as $100 million.
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Amber Neely
Andrew Orr
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AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
29 Comments
It's funny reading the twitter comments calling out Sweeney's hypocrisy, and Sweeney trying to save face. Asshole.
Epic please fire this idiot. So tired of his onside whining and appeal for public support.
Man needs to have a serious word with himself.